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Past and future
Cleveland Metropolitan School District is preparing to close 18 buildings at the end of this school year. While this Signal Cleveland piece on the topic reminds us that charter school conversion is the most common usage of previously-closed buildings in the district, not every one goes that route, despite Ohio law giving right of first refusal to charter and private school operators. The piece cites four instances of non-education outcomes for those buildings—including housing, offices, and a park. But all of them required CMSD to hold onto and maintain the properties for years before other users—mostly supported by entities with taxing authority—came forward. The district is in such dire financial straits now, it seems unlikely that the pattern will be repeated this time around.
News from Indy
Indiana’s school closure law is far more stringent than that of Ohio, but school choice opponents have still managed to impede its provisions. Case in point: Indianapolis Public Schools building #65, which closed in spring 2023. A charter school operator was poised to buy it at the time—for the price of $1 as a newly-passed state law required—but the district fought the new law in court for years. That case was finally settled in favor of the law’s provisions back in August of 2025 but the district continued to drag its heels. The elected board of IPS voted last week to at last approve the sale of building #65 to Dynamic Minds Academy, a charter school that serves students on the autism spectrum. A positive outcome, but delayed far too long. Interestingly, this could actually mark the last time the law is needed in Indy because the state is poised to institute a groundbreaking new K-12 education structure in the city which would unite district, charter, and private schools into a single system—sharing buildings, transportation, governance, and funding based on student needs rather than institutional fiat—as we have been chronicling here for months. The Indiana House of Representatives this week passed House Bill 1423 by a vote of 67 to 30. Now it’s on to Gov. Mike Braun for his signature. Education in the city will never look the same again.
Not all the news can be good
South Dakota will not be getting charter schools any time soon. A legislative push to authorize them for the first time ended in a tie in the state Senate last week, with Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen then declining to cast a vote either way to break the tie. “I think most of the time it makes sense to let the legislative process play out,” Venhuizen said in an interview. “Senators can move to reconsider and try to find a vote to flip their way and pass it if they want.”
Upcoming data workshop event
When performance data shifts, leaders feel pressure to act — but reacting quickly is not the same as improving. John A. Dues, Chief Learning Officer and Chief Operating Officer for United Schools, is offering a live, online 75-minute workshop, where he teaches a practical five-step decision protocol to help school leaders stop fire-fighting over performance data and start fixing the systems that actually produce student results. The Before You React Workshop will be held March 12, 2026, at 4:15 p.m. ET, via Zoom. You can find additional details and registration information by clicking here.
Register now for the 2026 Ohio Charter School Leadership Summit
Ohio’s premier annual gathering of charter school leaders, policy makers, and industry experts will be held on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in Columbus. Click this link for registration and more information on this opportunity to foster collaboration, share perspectives, and join the forward-looking conversations that support long-term success.
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